Editorial Policy

This policy sets out the standards every article published by PressBBC is held to.

Important: PressBBC is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) or any of its services in any way.

Independence

Editorial decisions are made by our editorial team alone. No advertiser, sponsor, partner or commercial relationship influences what we cover or how we cover it. Commercial staff have no role in editorial decisions, and editorial staff have no revenue targets.

Accuracy

We verify factual claims before publication. Statistics are attributed to their source and given the context needed to interpret them. Where a claim rests on a single study, we say so and describe the study’s limitations. We distinguish between what is established, what is contested and what is unknown.

Sourcing

We prefer primary sources: official documents, published research, direct statements and first-hand accounts. Where we rely on another publication’s reporting, we say so and link to it. We do not present material gathered by others as our own.

Fairness and balance

Where a subject is genuinely contested, we represent the significant positions fairly and identify where the weight of evidence lies. We do not treat balance as an obligation to give equal space to claims that the evidence does not support.

Separating fact from comment

Reporting and analysis are distinguishable. Analysis and opinion pieces are labelled. Headlines reflect the content of the article rather than overstating it for attention.

Conflicts of interest

Writers and editors disclose any financial holding, employment, or personal relationship that a reasonable reader would consider relevant to a piece. Where a conflict cannot be managed through disclosure, the writer does not take the assignment.

Health, legal and financial content

Articles in these areas are general information and are not a substitute for professional advice. We do not make individual recommendations, and we state this clearly within the relevant pieces.

Use of artificial intelligence

Every article we publish is written and edited by people. We may use software for routine tasks such as transcription, research assistance or spelling and grammar checking. We do not publish automatically generated articles, and we do not use synthetic images to depict real events.

Illustrations

Our featured images are original graphic illustrations, not photographs of the events described. They are decorative and are never presented as documentary evidence.

Corrections

When we get something wrong we correct it promptly and visibly, as described in our Corrections Policy.